Summary
Objective
An overview of personal experiences in medical informatics based on Dr. Morris Collen’s
50 years of research in the field.
Methods
A personal reminiscence and historical overview, focusing on the first two decades
of medical informatics, when Dr. Collen began working with Dr. Sidney Garfield, the
founder of Kaiser Permanente, leading to his involvement in computer-based medical
care, through the development of the pioneering Automated Multiphasic Health Testing
(AMHT) system, which they introduced into Kaiser clinics in Oakland and San Francisco.
Results
Statistical models for medical decision-making based on consultations with Jerzy Neyman
and George Dantzig were incorporated into the AMHT, and tested on a large database
of cases. Meetings with other pioneers in medical informatics at the Karolinska Institute
led to the formation of the early society Salutas Unitas, and the many national and
international collaborations which followed during the first two decades helped coalesce
the field as clinicians and researchers investigated problems of medical data, decision
support, and laboratory, hospital, and library information systems.
Conclusion
Dr. Collen’s research and his many medical informatics activities significantly contributed
to the growth of the field. The U.S. contributions are covered extensively in his
book, A History of Medical Informatics in the United States, 1950-1990. Washington,
DC: Am Med Informatics Association 1995.
Keywords
History of medical informatics - Kaiser Permanente Automated Multiphasic Health Testing
System - pioneering research in medical decision-making - professional organizations
and meetings in medical informatics - evolution of research and leaders in medical
